John Nash Column -- Wilton's future holds court this weekend

Editor's Note -- The following is a column written by Wilton Villager sports editor John Nash which was published in the The Sunday Hour.

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WESTON -- Max Maudsley is a rarity in the town of Wilton.

He is a buffalo headed coin in Nike sneakers. He is a Three-toed Jacamar with a nasty cross-over dribble and picture perfect jump shot. He is a multi-sport athlete living in the town of Wilton who calls himself a basketball player first and foremost.

And he, along with a large group of his Wilton Basketball Association roster-mates, are the future of their sport in their town.

On the surface, it was a pretty dark winter, basketball-wise, around Wilton.

The boys varsity team won only four games in Tim Tallcouch's second season while the girls squad, under first-year head coach Jaclyn Woitkowski, lost its opener by 47 points to eventual league champ Fairfield-Warde and proceeded to win just five games the rest of the season.

With the arrival of March, however, comes hope.

The Wilton Basketball Association, which oversees the town's youth travel program, sent five different squads into championship games in this year's Fairfield County Basketball League postseason tournaments.

Four of those games were played on Saturday and two teams won championships. One game title game, featuring the eighth grade girls team, takes place on Sunday in Darien.

"I looked over all the championships and I think we've got more teams playing than any other town," said WBA president Steve Pearsall. "I think it's great. It will definitely help us build some momentum for next year and continue on into the future."

Last year, just one WBA squad played for a title -- a group of eighth graders who moved up to the freshmen level at Wilton High this past winter. One of those players, Ian Ross, was listed as an FCIAC Player to Watch in the league's postseason awards.

On Saturday, two more Wilton eighth grade boys squads played for FCBL championships. So, too, did the girls sixth and seventh grade squads. One of the eighth grade teams won its tournament title as did the sixth grade girls squad.

None of this means Wilton High will be contending for an FCIAC championship a year from now. Nor does it mean the athletic administration needs to make any room between the soccer and lacrosse trophies -- at least not yet.

What it does mean, however, is young people are playing basketball at a higher level in Wilton than they have in a long time and they're learning how to win.

Maudsley has already seen the program grow in the three years he's been in town since moving from Norwalk.

"I think it's unbelievable that five Wilton basketball teams have gotten to the championships this year," said Maudsley. "That's like pretty great to have that. It's good to see the future of Wilton basketball is getting there. I moved here in sixth grade and it has come so far."

Maudsley's Wilton White team was on the short end of its B-division title game, losing to Trumbull Gardens by an 87-72 score.

The Wilton Blue 8th grade squad, which is the town's "B" team, pulled out a 48-46 squeaker over Fairfield P.A.L. in its title game when Thomas Black scored on an offensive rebound with five seconds left in the game.

"This is what's real interesting about this team. Seven kids had never played travel basketball before and we started out 0-4 as a group," said Wilton Blue head coach Bill Farmakis. "But you give kids opportunities they never had before and they shine and they develop. They build the skills and everything else."

Which was the whole point of the WBA when it started a half decade ago. Mike Wilbur and Steve LaSala were just two of the key cogs in starting the Wilton Basketball Association, and coaches in the league now point to this season's success directly to what they started and what the current board, under Pearsall's direction, is achieving.

"I really think I'm going to give total credit to those who started this," said Vic Cunningham, who coached his sixth grade girls to a 36-27 win over Newtown on Saturday. "They felt there was a need to build a grass roots effort to get kids more excited about basketball and what happened this week is a testament to the work that began years ago. It's a significant accomplishment."

This could a new beginning. For now, though, it's just the end of a season.

"I like to look at this way: I just think it's a good weekend for Wilton basketball," said Pearsall. "It's a great way to end our season."

A very special season, indeed. Especially for those in the town's basketball establishment and for all those true basketball players out there; players like Max Maudsley, whose sport shined so bright that the clouds of winter have dissipated and given everybody a glimpse of the future.